Trevor Carson insists St Mirren are so well-drilled it doesn’t matter if they lose a man to a red card – or even have to slot a striker in at centre-back.
And that’s because the Saints number one believes boss Stephen Robinson has the team’s tactics so clear in their minds they can play with their eyes shut.
The Buddies had to dig deep to battle to a creditable draw against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park on Monday after losing Ethan Erhahon to a red card after just eight minutes.
Despite being a man down for so long, Saints quickly adapted to the setback with Carson a virtual bystander for much of the match.
The 34-year-old was called into action late on, pulling off a stunning save to deny Christian Doidge a dramatic late winner.
But he is adamant his side were well worth their draw and believes their hours of hard work on the training ground are now paying off in Premiership points.
Carson told Renfrewshire Live Sport: “I wasn’t overly troubled after we went down to 10 men. Ethan was sent off so early and as a keeper you automatically think you’re going to be in for a busy, busy day. But the lads in front of me put in a hell of a shift.
“I didn’t see Ethan after the game. Something must have happened, but I think it’s more important to talk about the boys who were left on the pitch and how hard they worked.
“For us in a defensive sense, it doesn’t really matter whether we’re playing with 10 men or eleven. Everyone knows our identity and how we play by now. We frustrate teams and we were excellent at that at Rugby Park.
“I’m an experienced pro and I’ve been in the game long enough to know there was always the chance I’d have one big save to make, so that kept me focused and on my toes.
“Luckily, I also had a few crosses to deal with and that kept me in the game. When I did make a couple of saves it was just nice to be able to contribute. If someone had said to me after 10 minutes I’d only have two saves to make I’d have taken that.
“In fairness to the gaffer, with the way we set up defensively most of us could do it with our eyes closed. You could throw one of our strikers in at centre back and he would know the role exactly because we work on it so often.
“Like I say, nothing really changed for us when we went a man down; it didn’t affect our press or our defensive shape and we still carried a threat with our counter-attacks.
“The energy some of the boys showed was incredible. We wanted to go there and win but we were more than happy with a point in the end.”
The Buddies’ away form has come under heavy fire so far this season, with the club picking up just one win on the road so far in eight attempts.
Carson believes his side are on the right track away from Paisley after picking up draws against Livingston and Kilmarnock since returning from the World Cup
break.
He’s been particularly impressed with his teammates’ dogged performances, adding: “Going into the last two games at Kilmarnock and Livingston the manager made a point of saying that good sides don’t lose at those grounds.
“I’ve played for teams before where you think you’re doing all right and then you go to a Livi or a Killie and you get rolled over. You get bullied and beat up.
“So those games were a massive test for us, of our character and where we are as a unit. It’s clear to see that our home form’s been great but we’ve struggled a bit on the road.
“We were disappointed we didn’t win at the Tony Macaroni Arena and, in the circumstances, a draw was a good result at Rugby Park. So we’re buoyant after that.”
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